Machine for making fiber insulating-sheets.



J.E.LAPPEN. MACHINE FOR MAKING FIBER INSULATING SHEETS. APPHCAHON ruinMIYI5.I9I&

1,139,983. Patented May 18, 1915.

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l. E. LAPPEN.

MACHINE FOR MAKING FIBER INSULATING SHEETS.

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JAMEB E. LAPPEN, 0F WINONA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB '10 UNION FIBRE COMPANY,OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING FIBER INSULATING-SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed May 15, 1818. Serial No. 787,858.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, James E. LAPPEN, a citizen of the United States,residin at Winona, in the county of Winona and tate of Minnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for MakingFiber Insulating-Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements'm machines for making insulatingsheets of fiber, having special reference to fiax, hem or jute fibers,but capable of being used wit other suitable fibers.

The objects of the invention are to rovide improved means for mterlacman intertangling the fibers so as to ma e the sheets strong andcoherent, and for washing the fiber during its progress through themachine and carrying away the impurities therein so as to preventdeterioration of the finished sheet, as well as to simplify theapparatus for making these sheets an make it more efiieient.

According to the method now use, the fibrous material from which suchinsulating sheets are made is first treated in a digester with an alkalisolution to remove the gummy constituents. It is then delivered in a damstate upon a traveling apron which carries it first through water in atank, where the fibers are distributed and interlaced in a horizontallane by manual or mechanical means, and t on under a succession ofrossuro instrumentalitics, such as rolls and ampers, to squeeze out thewater and com )lete t e feltin of the fibers. This method oimanufacture, owever, does not adequately remove from the fiber the dirtand alkali which remain in it after its treatment in the digester,because the water in the tank is used over and over a in and soonbecomes full of alkali and dirt from the fiber, so that the fiberremains impregnated with the alkali and other im urities when it leavesthe tank. This ma es the product harsh, brittle, and discolored.urthermoro, in machines now commonly used there is no positive means fordriving the fibers into the mat in a direction transverse to the planethereof.

In order to overcome these defects and to attain the objects mentionedabove, I have devised a machine wherein the fibers are not carriedthrough atank of water, but are in common will not re-impregnate thefibers.

' longitudinal section throu carried on a foraminous apron underneathsprays or jets of water wh1ch are delivered upon it from above, andwhich not only drive the fibers downwardly across the lane of travel ofthe apron, but also wasi the alkali and dirt down throu h the openingstherein. As the apron oes not travel through water but only receives thewater from above the alkali when once washed from the fibers is carriedoff through the openings in the bottom of the apron and As the fiber matis rather thick it will somewhat impede the downward tpassage of thewater so that the fiber will o more or less submerged, particularly ifthe apron is depressed between its ends.

More particularly the invention consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompan ing drawings showing the preferred embo iment of myinvention, Figure 1 is a top view of the machine with some partsbrokenaway Fig. 2 is a cross section on line y-g of Fi 1; Fig. 3 is a themachine on line m-w of Fig. 1; Fig. is a bottom view of one of therayers; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the apron s ats; and Fig. 6 is a crosssection through the same on line ez of Fig. 5.

In the machine shown in the drawings, I have shown dofi'er mechanism Aof a type well known in the art for delivering the fiber upon thetraveling-apron B. This apron is an endless eonveyler consistinpreferably of side s rocket c ains 2 and reverse slats 8 forms with alarge number of holes 4 to permit the water to pass down through them.The apron asses over an idler roller 5 at the feed on of the machine anda driven roller 6 at the forward or delivery end of the machine. Theroller 6 may be driven from the main drive pulley 7 by any suitablemechanism such as the gear 8 upon the shaft of the pulley 7 which mesheswith a car 9 upon the shaft of the roller 6. The re ler 6 carries ateach end sprocket teeth 10 which on e the s rocket chains 2 of theapron, an t ereby rive the apron.

The top reach of the apron travels from the roller 5 over a table 11,where it receives material from the feedingdevices. It th n passes downover sprockets 12 to the de- 'discharged with -more or erably lower lovethan the table 11 to a point near the delivery end of the machine,

whence they rise upon an incline to the roller (3. The apron iskeptdepressed upon the horizontal portion of the ways by means of spacedundcrrunnin idler. sprockets 14 and 15, journaled in .tlieframework-and, like the sprockets 1'2, engaging the side sprocket chainsofthe apron, the sprockets l-l being placed near-the table.11 in closeproximity .to the sprockets =12, and the sprockets 15 bein placedatthepoint where he ways'bcgintieir upward incline.

The apron runs between side walls -16 which extend well above'the wayssoas-to prcventthe water which is'delivered upon the .fiber from escapingat .the sides. 'To protect the edges-0f the fiber matfrom being torn bythe sprockets-Maud *15,=I have provided auxiliary side wallsor ,deckles17 on the inner sidesof-these sprockets above the apron.

Supported in any-suitable manner above the apron at a point.betweenthedepressing sprockets 14 and 15 are spraying pipes 19 which extendentirely across the machine. These pipes are connectediwith aivalvedsupply pipe 20, through which water is forced ,under pressure, and areclosed-at their outer ends. The pipes-19 are formedin their undersidewith a row of holes 21, as shown in Fig. 3, so that, when the valve 22in the supply pipe is opened, the water will be less force upon thefiber which is being carried alongon the apron, and will;passdownthrough the fiber and escape through the joints and'hole's in theapron. To collectand-carry off this dirty water before it falls on thelower reach of the apron I'have arranged-an inclined pan 23 whichextends longitudinally of the machine between the upper and lowerreaches of the apron. It is supported upon the framework C and at itslowercnd leads into a trough 24 having a drainpipe 25.

As the apron is carried up the inclined portion of the ways 18 itpasses-under vertically reoiprooatory tampcrs 20,-which may be drivenfrom any suitable source of power, and between the compression rollers 6and 27, whereby to compact the intertwined fibers and expel the watertherefrom. As these tampers and compression rollers are old in the artand form no part of the present invention no detailed description ofthem is necessary. After thefiber sheet'has been carried through therollersdand 127. it is delivered from the appontopress rolls 28 and 29which, likethe-tampers and the these ways to "the a the ways 13 underassume a position transverse through-thee enings in the apron, -of itwill .col and seek and loosen the same.

seen that the water'cannot escape at the the depressed intermediateportion of the apron,

sure rolls whichexpel the remaining water andcomplete the felting of thefibers. By the term' water as used herein I mean to I endless'foraminous convever said feeding instrumentality'to a point he-E-IQVV'thGZlQVBl .thercofandethcnnp again to 1 flY-lbe driven from anysuitable source 0 power. From these press rolls it passes on to asuitable table or conveyor 30. In use the' fiber, which is usually in asoinewhat'wet and matted condition, is deposited by any convenient meansupon the 'topreach o'f'the apron before it has passed off the table 11.It is then carried down along the depressed horizontal portion of thejets of water which are delivered from above through the spraying pipes19. The water drives some of the fibers-down into the mat so that'theywill to the plane of and turns others into all sorts of the apron,

so'that the fibers will become inpositions,

=tertangledand interlaced. As the mass of fiber is thick the water willnot all make its way at once through the fiber and escape but much ectuponand about the fiber It will be sides of the apronon account of thedeckles v17v and sideiwalls 16, nor off-the ends of the apron becausethe ends are raised above portion. Thus the apron, instead .of runningthrough a tank, willitself constitute-a. sort of traveling tank, but one.to which fresh water is constantly supplied and from which the dirtywater is constantly running 0E through I the openings in its bottom,carrying with it the alkali and other impurities washed from the fiber.

After passing along the depressed or tank the fiber is carried upthe-inclinedportion of the ways, and in its passageup is-drainedof mostof the free water carried.

along by it. It is then subjected to the action of the tampers andprosinclude any liquid which will act mechanicallvin substantially thesame way as water. he-details of the-structure can be modilied --invarious ways, without departing from-*the principle of the invention,the

scope-of which'is defined in the claims. 1 claim as my invention: '1.(In ainachine for making fiber insulatinp; sheets, the combination witha traveling foraminous apron adapted to carry loose ilbrousmaterial ofmeans arranged above said felting instruinentaltity, and means arrangedabove the apron for deliverin jets of water thereon during the depresseportion of its travel. I

3. In a machine for making fiber insulating sheets, the combination withfiber feeding and fiber felting instrumentalities, of an endlessforaminous conveyor apron adapted to carry fibrous stock from said fiberfeeding instrumentality to said fiber felting instrumentnlity, means fordepressing said apron intermediately of said instrumentalities, andmeans arranged above the apron for driving jets of water upon thedepressed portion of the apron with sufiieient force to deflect andintertangle the fibers carried along thereby.

4. In a machine for making fiber insulating sheets, the combination withfiber feed- Ooplee a! this patent may be obtained (or Me cents each, byaddressing the "dommissloner of Patents,

ing and fiber felting instrumentalities, of an endless foraminousconveyor apron traveling from said feeding instrumentality to saidfelting instrumentality, means for deressing said apron intermediatelyof said mstrumentalities, a sprayer arranged above the de ressed portionof the apron and adapte to discharge water thereon, and retaining wallson both sides of the apron for preventing the water from escaping at thes1 es.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature 30 in presence 0 two witnesses.

JAMES E. LAPPEN.

Witnesses:

An'rmm P. Ls'rrmor, H. Swanson.

Washington, D. 0."

